


The Ballad of Moon

by Daidairo



Series: Moonshine and Ballad [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: F/M, Mulan AU, Romantic Comedy, except there's a lot of war and action and plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-23 17:14:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20011903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daidairo/pseuds/Daidairo
Summary: Gladion didn't trust Sun, not one bit. There was something about the soldier that seemed... off, though he wasn't exactly sure what. From the moment he first met the conscripts, Sun stood out. For one, the skinny boy was almost a head shorter than most of the other men. For another, he had a strange habit of looking at everyone else with a sharp, intense gaze, as if he was observing them. For a third, no one had ever heard about Sir Jotos adopting a son.





	The Ballad of Moon

Gladion didn't trust Sun, not one bit. There was something about the soldier that seemed... off, though he wasn't exactly sure what. From the moment he first met the conscripts, Sun stood out. For one, the skinny boy was almost a head shorter than most of the other men. For another, he had a strange habit of looking at everyone else with a sharp, intense gaze, as if he was observing them. For a third, no one had ever heard about Sir Jotos adopting a son.

Aside from the bow, Sun showed no great proficiency with weapons, but he had the sharpest mind the instructors had ever seen. He could barely pass the physical fitness tests, but he could clear the strategy tests faster than anyone. Most incriminating of all, he had a habit of disappearing by himself every now and then. When questioned, all he offered in response was that he needed to use the privy.

Everything together painted the picture of a possible spy, Gladion thought. But when he voiced his concerns to Senior Instructor Nanu, the latter merely laughed and said his imagination was working overtime.

"Why on earth would the Skullions send a spy to a training camp, filled with a half-baked bunch of new recruits?" he'd asked. That made sense, but didn't clear Gladion's suspicions. Sun was definitely hiding something. But none of the other officers seemed to agree. Much to his annoyance, most of the instructors liked Sun, especially after his multiple successes in the mock battle campaigns they held.

"He's smart, he's loyal, he doesn't shirk his responsibilities. What's not to like?" Nanu had said, shrugging. "He'll make a good second-in-command for you, Captain."

Gladion snorted in disbelief. He resolved to keep an eye on Sun, but the dark-haired young man somehow still managed to disappear at least twice every day, while fulfilling all his camp chores and training sessions.

Watching him riding now, Gladion frowned. Sun was talking to the men near him, and they laughed as he cracked a joke.

"We're going to war, not on a damn picnic," he muttered darkly under his breath.

"Sir?" the recruit closest to him asked, thinking he was being addressed. But Gladion had already moved off, guiding his horse towards the group at the side.

The chatter died swiftly when he arrived next to them. Sun nodded politely (insolently) at him.

"Something wrong, Captain?" he asked.

"I..." Now that he was there, Gladion realised he had no idea what to say. _Stop laughing_ sounded ridiculous. _No talking_ even more so. _You're a bad influence on the other men_ was petty. Sun raised an eyebrow at him, clearly amused, and Gladion felt his temper flare.

"We're not on holiday here," he snapped. "Stop playing the fool and stay focused!"

"I didn't think a bit of chat was against the rules," Sun said, so contritely that Gladion _knew_ he was laughing at him. "We did stay in formation in case of any emergencies."

Now that he mentioned it, Gladion realised that they had indeed remained neatly in their given positions. Which did nothing for his irritation.

"So... Is a bit of chat against the rules then, Captain?" Sun asked politely. Gladion scowled.

"No. But we're fighting a war here. If you're not going to take the Skullions seriously-"

"We take them seriously." Sun's face was, in fact suddenly serious. "But that's why, when there's no great danger, you have to cut them some slack. It'll do better for their morale in the long run, you know?"

Gladion opened his mouth, then stopped. He hated to admit it, but it made sense. In fact, Nanu had occasionally lectured him for being far too 'gloomy and angry', saying that it didn't help any of the soldiers under him feel better.

"Just make sure you don't break formation," he said sternly, before turning to ride back to his own place.

He could hear Sun not laughing at him as he went.

* * *

Moon knew that Captain Gladion was wary of her. His guard was always up around her... actually, it was almost _always_ up. But she knew that he didn't particularly trust 'Sun', especially because of her frequent disappearances each day.

But what else was a girl to do in a camp of fifty men?

It was hard enough living without more frequent bathing opportunities, but her body had to discharge waste no matter what, and she had to be careful about finding a spot where none of the other men would come across her by accident. So she gave her excuses, and tried to distract the others by being a model recruit in all other aspects.

It worked for almost everyone. Sure, she may not be the most skillful swordsman in the troop, and her stamina was nothing to boast about, but she knew she was a better shot than anyone (except perhaps Instructor Nanu, whom she suspected was too lazy to show off his real skill) in the West Reserve Army. She did all of her training and punishments without complaint, she was always on time, she was neat with her belongings, and she had the most success as a tactician in the war games.

So the officers liked her. They trusted her enough to even include her in planning meetings. All except Captain Gladion.

It annoyed Moon a little to find that he seemed unimpressed by her skill and intelligence. It didn't help that when she first saw him, she was completely impressed by his skill and his beautiful ~~physique~~ green eyes. She even saw him smile, once, at his horse, and her heart did stupid things for a few moments.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), Gladion had proved to be exceptionally frustrating during the months of training. He was always singling her out, checking to see if she was breaking the rules or hiding something. After the first month or so, Moon had taken to retorting with sassy quips and some politely concealed insolence. Gladion's anger was swift, and he punished her for insubordination.

Not before she saw the twitch of his mouth and the glint of humour in his eyes, though. Ever since then, Moon grabbed every opportunity she could get to irritate him, or make him laugh. Whichever.

The first time it happened, a couple of them had been dispatched after bandits. The group of ten had been plaguing some of the smaller villages. They rounded up the bandits and brought them back to Paniola Town, where they were sentenced to a few years of hard labour in the mills.

"I wonder if it'd be more merciful to throw them in prison," Hau had mused as they rode out. Paniola Town was famous for their flour. To maintain it, the mills never rested, and workers were rotated in shifts in order to keep them going.

"Considering what they did to those villages?" Moon shook her head, and grinned. "They deserve to be put to work for twenty flours a day."

She expected the shout of laughter from her right. What she did not expect was the choking noise to their left. Moon turned.

"Captain? Are you... laughing?" Moon asked incredulously.

"No."

"He was," Hau said, his voice awed.

_"No."_

A huge grin broke out on Moon's face. "Captain Gladion appreciates bad puns. Who knew?"

Gladion rolled his eyes. "Shut up."

* * *

The second time she made Gladion laugh happened two weeks later.

Moon was sneaking back into camp after a quick bathe in a nearby river. As she passed the command tent, she heard raised voices coming from the other side.

"I tell you, the main army is more than a match for those barbarians!" It was the shrill, nasally voice of Senior Secretary Faba. "So quit wasting all this money on sparring and campaigning and get back to the training grounds!"

Faba stalked off, mumbling under his breath about narrow-minded people with broken families. Moon raised an eyebrow at him, then peeked around the tent. Gladion was seated before a campfire, poking it idly with a stick. He looked up, and Moon casually tossed her wet bundle of clothes behind the tent before moving to sit beside him.

"Faba being stupid again?" she asked with a sympathetic grin. The arrogant officer was rude to everyone in the camp, dismissive of their abilities, and worst of all, complained loudly each time he had to pay for more food. As a result, nobody liked him.

"Are you back from another one of your stupidly long privy trips?" he said warily. Moon rolled her grey-blue eyes dramatically.

"Captain, if I haven't betrayed you for the past three months, what makes you think I'll do it now?" she said patiently. "I promise you, I won't murder you in your tent. You can sleep easy at night."

Gladion snorted. "I'll sleep a lot easier once this war is over."

"I think we can all agree on that." She picked up a stray stick and tossed it into the fire. For a few minutes, they both sat silent, watching the flames flicker.

"Captain?"

"What?"

"Why did you choose to enlist in the army?"

He remained silent for a while, and she thought he wasn't going to answer.

"My father was a merchant. He disappeared years ago while out trading. When he didn't return, my mother became... sick. Suffice to say, my aunt was the only reason my sister and I survived."

Unconsciously, he rubbed the long scar on his forearm. Moon saw the slight movement, and winced. _She beat her children._

"In any case, I told myself that I had to protect Lillie. No matter what. I learned to take care of myself. I learned to fight. Realized I was pretty good at it. And now I fight alongside my uncle, to protect Alola."

His uncle was the general of the Alolan army, Moon knew.

"You love Alola, don't you?"

Gladion shrugged. "Not so much Alola, as the people who live in it," he said. "That's why, no matter what that fool Faba says, as long as the war is ongoing, I'm going to make sure our reserve army is ready for battle. The training will continue."

Moon smiled at the look of determination in his eyes. So young, yet so clear about his goals in life, she thought.

"Well, even if we end up not being deployed, at least we're draining the royal coffers and breaking Faba's heart. I'm spiteful enough to enjoy that," she said.

As a joke, it was pretty weak. But Gladion chuckled softly at her words.

"Me too," he admitted with a lopsided grin. Rising to his feet, he brushed off his tunic.

"Get some sleep. Tomorrow will be another long day." He gave Moon a quick pat on the shoulder, then walked off towards his sleeping tent.

Moon watched him go, trying to ignore the way her heart had leaped at the sight of his smiling face.

 _What are_ you _even here for?_

* * *

Five weeks later, laughter was in short supply. They were, as Gladion often reminded them, at war. While nobody had originally expected the reserve armies to go to battle, the main army had been struggling with the Skullions for weeks now. The conscripts had been ordered to standby at the south border, in case the army needed to be relieved.

But as they prepared to march towards the south, scouts had brought in unwelcome news from Lanakila Pass. The garrison had been breached, destroyed by a group of Tyahrian mercenaries.

Tyahr was a small country beyond the borders of Alola, and until now there had been very little dispute between the two countries. Sure, there were only thirty of them according to the scouts, but Tyahr mercenaries were famous for being excellent fighters, while half of their men had only started training a few months ago. Their experience barely extended beyond a few rounds with bandits and pirates.

The news of Tyahr mercenaries was a shock, and some of the men were muttering nervously amongst themselves. They waited now, hidden behind trees. It had been Moon's idea to engage them in wide open space, so they could press forward and retreat easily, allowing fresher troops to strike immediately after. They had the advantage of numbers, after all.

"Lele help me, I'm nervous," Hau muttered next to her. Moon grinned wryly.

"Nerves are a good thing. It keeps you on edge so you don't get overconfident," she said.

"That's easy for you to say," Kiawe grumbled. "You're the best out of all of us, and so the least likely to get killed out there."

"Can't beat you for strength, can't beat Ilima for balance, can't beat Hau for stamina," Moon counted off her fingers. "Can't even wear full armour because I wouldn't be able to move."

"You're a bowman, you don't need armour. All you do is sit behind the rest of us in safety and shoot people," Gold pointed out. Moon smacked the back of his head with her bow, and he laughed. "Wish the Captain would make _me_ a bowman too."

"Aw, come on, we all know you love swinging that axe of yours around all-" Hau's voice faded as the rumbling sound of quick marching footsteps reached their ears. "They're coming."

Two minutes later, as the mercenaries reached the point they agreed on, the reserve army charged out of the trees. Despite being caught by surprise, the Tyahrians recovered swiftly. Screaming in rage, the two armies clashed.

But Gladion and Nanu continued pressing forward, giving the Tyahrians no chance to breathe. Soon, their superiority in numbers began to show. Moon and her group of archers had taken out the enemy crossbowmen within minutes, then emptied their quivers into the middle of the foe, causing those behind them to stumble.

Three short horn blasts signaled a temporary retreat. The reserve army disengaged and pulled back rapidly.

"You have one chance to throw down your weapons and surrender," Gladion said. "If you do, you'll leave Alola unmolested." A few of the mercenaries hesitated, looking around at their fallen comrades.

"Fight on, you damn cowards!" one of the flag bearers yelled. "They're just kids, most of them! Don't let them fool you! They'll never let you go free! Tyahr members, with me!"

He charged at the Alolans, followed by the other mercenaries. Moon fired her last arrow at him, but he suddenly turned and bent down. Her arrow struck an axeman behind instead. Cursing, Moon drew her sword, but as the dead axeman tumbled to the ground, she saw the flag bearer pick up the loaded crossbow lying next to him.

He took aim at Gladion.

Moon ran. "Captain! Watch out!" she cried.

Gladion turned at her cry, and pulled his shield up to block the bolt. But Moon saw another Tyahrian pick up and aim a crossbow.

She barged into Gladion, knocking him to the ground. A sharp pain pierced her side, and she cried out, collapsing onto her knees.

"Sun!" Gladion grabbed her shoulder. "Are you-"

"I'm fine! Go take 'em out before they reload those things!" she croaked. Gladion hesitated, then grabbed his sword.

"Stay down!" he ordered, before dashing away.

"As if I could do anything else," Moon mumbled, staring at the blood stain soaking through her clothes and leather armour.

Then she fainted.

* * *

When Moon awoke, she was aware of the stinging pain in her side, just underneath her ribs. Dragging her eyes open, she saw the white canvas roof of the command tent.

She was lying on a bedroll in a corner, hidden behind a light tapestry curtain. On the other side, the drone of voices could be heard. A corner of the tapestry lifted, and Cilan walked in holding a tray.

He hesitated, then placed the tray down next to Moon. Lifting the wooden mug, he said, "You should drink."

Moon sat up, pushing her covers off, wincing at the pain that shot through her body. She reached for the mug, then froze.

She was wearing a bloodless, clean tunic.

She could feel the bandages around her wound.

But not the ones she used to bind her chest.

Her head snapped up.

"You... know..?" she whispered. Cilan nodded slowly.

"I... uh... had to. Needed to clean the wound," he said. "Here, you need to drink."

She took the mug and gulped. The cool water seemed to stick in her throat and she coughed. Then another thought struck her. She was in the command tent, not the medical tent.

"The Captain... knows?"

Cilan nodded again, looking uncomfortable. "I had to tell him. He was asking after you."

Dread welled up within her, and Moon groaned. Before she could say anything, there was a commotion beyond the curtain.

"What news?" they heard Roark asking. Moon started to get up, but Cilan shook his head, putting his finger to his lips.

"As we thought, they were hired by Guzma," Gladion said.

"Blast. Tyahr's breaking the treaty we got with them?" Koga growled.

"Fortunately, no. This group took the job without government approval. We'll send them to Malie to await the King's decision."

"So this border is safe now?"

There was a pause. "That's the bad news. They're the advance party. A division of Skullion troops are marching towards Lanakila Pass as we speak."

Groans and swears greeted the news.

A loud thump sounded, as if someone had smacked a table. "Blast those damn Tyahrians. Nobody expected the west border to be any kind of danger!" Koga raged.

"What do you plan to do, Captain?" Roark asked.

"I've sent word to the King and General Kukui. The scout group is on their way to check them out. We'll decide after that," Gladion said.

Murmurs of agreement, then light footsteps and clinks of armour sounded as the rest of the officers filed out.

Moments later, Gladion pushed aside the tapestry. His green eyes narrowed dangerously at the sight of Moon, and she gulped.

Cilan stood up. "I'm... gonna go check on the others," he said as unobtrusively as he could, then ran out of the tent.

Moon raised her eyebrows. "That was subtle."

"As subtle as a woman pretending to be a man in the army?" Gladion sneered. Moon's heart sank at the disgust in his voice. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right here and now."

Moon opened her mouth, then closed it. What could she say in her own defense? She _had_ been lying about her gender. She _had_ enlisted under a false name. She _had_ broken the law.

She _had_ broken his trust.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Moon Kaladottir," she said quietly. "I'm Sir Jotos's second daughter."

"Enough lyi-"

"I really am his daughter!" Moon insisted. "I only enlisted so that Father wouldn't have to. He's growing old, and he falls sick easily, and there's no way he'd survive fighting in a war. I couldn't let him..." To her horror, tears were filling her eyes, and she blinked them away impatiently. "I couldn't let Father take the risk."

Gladion crossed his arms. "The conscription officers check every family before they send a notice. If Sir Jotos is no longer fit for military duty, he wouldn't have been called."

"The conscription officer in Hau'oli is prejudiced against us! He thinks Father cheated him out of some land twenty years ago! So he was more than happy to report that Father was still healthy and fit, just so he would be called into the reserve army!" All her resentment came bubbling to the surface as she spoke, and she shook her head in frustration. Looking up, she held Gladion's furious gaze.

"I only wanted to protect him, I promise."

For several long minutes, they stared at each other. When Gladion spoke again, his voice was even.

"Get out," he said.

"W-what?" Moon stammered. Gladion turned his back.

"You heard me. Go home. You're through."

So he wasn't going to kill her. Moon bit her lip.

"But..."

"I'll clear it. Sir Jotos won't be called to duty. I want you out of this camp by sundown."

Then he was gone.

Moon collapsed backwards onto the bedroll, gasping as she jolted her injury. She wasn't going to be punished for her deception. Her father was no longer in danger. She could get back to helping him with herbs. No more sneaking around men, trying to take an uncomfortable bath in a freezing river. No more making excuses for her disappearances to use the privy. No more drills and obstacle courses, or wading through mud and dirt in an attempt to stay hidden.

Finally, she could go back to the life she had before she joined the reserve army.

Moon had never felt more miserable, and she didn't know why.

* * *

Moon piled her weapons and armour neatly in a corner, then picked up her small bag of belongings. Stepping out of her tent, she smiled wistfully back at it. Cold, draughty, and occasionally smelly as it was, it had been her resting place for the past few months.

As she turned to go, she saw Hau running towards her.

"Sun! There you are," he said in relief. "Ilima said you got shot by a crossbow... Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I just... I was with... never mind," Moon sighed. Hau eyed her curiously, then shook his head.

"Did you hear the news? Joey's returned from observing the Skullion camp. There's over eighty of them, and they're mounted!"

Eighty. After the battle with the Tyahrians, the reserve army was probably down to about forty members in fighting condition. A straight-on battle would be foolish.

"Surely... the Captain's sent for reinforcements?" Moon asked.

"He did, but the other reserve armies are at least several weeks away. Bulu knows how long it'll take for them to reach us."

They could wait to engage the Skullions, of course, but if they left the troops alone, the countryside they marched through would be left in shambles. Even if they evacuated the people and animals, Skullions had a reputation of burning fields and houses just for the sake of it. Whatever they didn't take, they didn't like to leave for others to take.

No, the army had to fight. The question was, how were they to fight and win? Moon chewed on her thumbnail, thinking hard. The largest problem they faced was the disadvantage in numbers. Perhaps if they picked a location where-

"Sun? Are you... going somewhere?"

Hau had finally noticed the bag she was carrying. With a jolt, Moon remembered that she was no longer part of the reserve army. It wasn't her problem to solve.

"I... I've been... dismissed," she admitted. Hau's eyes widened.

"Dismissed?! By who? Why?" he demanded.

"I... broke the law. Pretty badly. So the Captain fired me," Moon said as cheerily as she could.

"But... You're just gonna leave?"

She shrugged. "It's not like I can do anything to change his mind. He's pretty angry at me."

"I can't ... You're leaving us?" Hau repeated disbelievingly.

"Look, I'm not doing it because I want to!" Moon snapped. "I only came here because..."

Because it was her duty, as a daughter. Because she wanted to protect her family.

And now...

Her eyes fell upon the rest of the camp. Men were moving around, yelling to one another, carrying water and food to the medical tents. Her friends, comrades, struggling to help each other in the wake of a battle.

"... I want to stay," Moon said slowly. "I want to help protect Alola. With all of you."

Hau reached out and squeezed her shoulder.

"Then you should start figuring out how we're to beat those Skullions."

* * *

Gladion bent over the huge chart on the table, searching intently for anything he might have missed.

They had to find a suitable point of engagement. A place where perhaps they could ambush the Skullions. Roark had suggested using Lanakila Garrison as their base, but Gladion had seen the place. Despite its name, the garrison was more a simple gateway than a defensive point. It was built to check travelers going through the pass, not stop attackers from breaching it.

But no other places stood out on the map. Gladion shook his head in frustration.

"There has to be a way," he muttered.

"Heahea Town."

Sun-no, Moon- stood at the entrance to the command tent.

"Thought I told you to get out," Gladion said coldly. Moon strode to the table and pointed at a town labelled on the chart.

"Heahea Town," she said again. "We get the townspeople to hide in the Lush Forest-" she pointed to the mass of green a short distance away- "while our men take their places in the town. When the Skullions approach, they'll be expecting resistance only from a watch of no more than fifteen people, not an army."

"Why should any of us trust you or your words? After you lied to us?" Gladion demanded. It was so easy now to see her as a woman. Her rounded face, her short stature, the smooth skin across her cheeks. Yet she had managed to fool everyone into believing that she was just a small young man who had never been properly visited by puberty.

She had fooled him.

"You have no place here," he said witheringly. Moon met his gaze steadily.

"You need me, Captain," she said. Gladion laughed derisively.

"The only thing I need is for you to get out of this camp before I report you for impersonating an army personnel that doesn't even exist," he snarled.

"So why don't you?"

"What?"

"You could have reported me the moment Cilan told you what I was. But you didn't. Why?" Moon asked.

Gladion clenched his fists, his fingers digging painfully into the palm of his hand, and he looked away.

"I owe you one for saving my life," he said at last. "That's why I spared yours."

"That's what comrades do. Save each other's life," Moon said.

"We're not-"

"I've trained in this camp under you for the last five months. Just like everyone else here. One day ago, you were willing to trust me and adopt my battle plans. I was a woman back then too. So why should it be any different now?" Moon challenged.

"Because-! You... I..." Gladion shook his head, then pounded a fist on the table, wrinkling the chart. It wasn't about her gender. She had obviously proven that she could hold her own with the rest. It was the fact that she had been lying to them.

_If she had lied so easily about whom she was, what else had she been lying about?_

"I want to protect the people of Alola, just like you do. I want to help these guys stay alive doing it," Moon said, waving her arm towards the tent entrance. She hesitated before continuing. "I know... it's hard for you to trust me because of what I did. But I'm a good strategist. I can be of use to you. Let me stay until after we've sent the Skullions packing."

Gladion exhaled.

Protecting Alola. That came first, no matter what. She had the best chance of coming up with a successful plan against the Skullions. He owed it to the rest of the reserve army to take that chance.

"Fine," he said through gritted teeth. Moon hastily stifled a sharp intake of breath. "But I warn you. I'll be watching you."

"Well, that doesn't sound creepy at all."

"One wrong move, and I will throw you off the cliff personally," he threatened. Moon smirked.

"I'd almost prefer that to facing the Skullions, actually."

* * *

Initially, the people of Heahea Town had been reluctant to cooperate. The plan of driving half their livestock away and abandoning their homes for a battle was not one they would embrace easily. But after Gladion pointed out that if they tried to fight the Skullions elsewhere, there was a high chance that they would lose and the Skullions would come after the town anyway, they stopped grumbling and did as they were told.

The West Reserve Army was hidden within the town. Some wore rough clothing thrown over their hard leather armour, while others were to remain out of sight until the battle began. Cookfires were kept going, so that a steady stream of smoke rose from the buildings. Barricades had been set up in places around the town; some of hastily constructed wood, others of pieces of furniture. To anyone outside the walls, Heahea looked like a quiet, lazy town enjoying its peaceful lunch break.

Moon stood with the command group in a carefully chosen spot on one of the town walls, where they could look over the entire battlefield. She ran over all their preparations in her mind, wondering if they had somehow forgotten something. It was going to be a difficult battle for them all, and despite everything they had done, there was still a chance that they would lose.

Then she shook herself. "Like Nanu always says. Don't start a battle thinking you might lose," she muttered. Beside her, Gladion snorted at the familiar quote.

"If we lose this, remind me to strangle you for failing to come up with a better plan," he said. Moon laughed.

"If we lose this, I'm not even sure if I'll be alive for you to strangle," she said cheerfully. "But I'll clean my neck and wait for you in hell, if that'll make you feel better."

"You think I'd go to hell?"

"Well, I can't say much for your morals, but black and fire is certainly more your aesthetic than heaven's eternal paradise."

In spite of himself, Gladion smirked. Moon grinned at him.

"Captain?" she said.

He turned to look at her.

"We're going to win this."

They held each other's gaze for a long second.

"Koko bless us with victory," Gladion breathed.

"Fini bless us with peace," Moon whispered back.

A shout came up from the front of the gates.

"They're coming!"

* * *

The Skullions made no attempt to disguise their charge, thundering up the road to Heahea as swiftly and fiercely as they could. The main gate had been left open, and they could hear alarmed cries from the 'townspeople' behind.

With a grin, the leader of the first wave gave a loud cry, echoed by his men, and galloped right through the gate. Only to find themselves surrounded by a wooden palisade, too low to be seen from outside the walls, but too high to breach easily.

Arrows, rocks, barrels and spears rained down at the group from the town walls, as the Skullion troops behind rode into their comrades, not realizing the trap until it was too late. But the palisade was quickly constructed, and it wasn't long before the Skullions pulled it down.

Other traps and barricades met them around every corner. Moon and her archers fired wave after wave of arrows at the tail of the enemy troops, reducing their numbers as fast as they could. Swords clashed and parried, spears flew, axes whirled. The reserve army fought hard, but one by one, the men fell.

Finally, Ilima spotted the command group. A group of ten, skulking close to the emptier edge of town. As expected, they were hiding behind their compatriots, not wanting to risk their own lives when they already had the upper hand.

Carefully, Moon picked up her prepared arrow and lit it. Gold picked up the large, expanded cow bladder next to him. With a big grin, he raised his arm and flung it towards the Skullion command group.

One arrow from Hau pierced the skin of the bladder, exploding it and showering the confused Skullions in flour. Then Moon shot her fire arrow at the bladder.

The massive amounts of flour particles in the air exploded. Pandemonium erupted as the smoke sent the still conscious Skullions nearby into a coughing fit. But the Alolans each had a kerchief around their neck, which they pulled up to ward off the worst of the smoke.

When Gladion called for their surrender, the Skullions looked to their leaders, found none, and dropped their weapons.

* * *

The aftermath of a battle was never the happy celebration that minstrels sang about. Men, dead or injured, lay sprawled on the ground or draped over barricades. Corpses had to be dragged into piles, either to be buried, burnt, or thrown into the forest for wolves and crows. The wounded had to be tended to. Broken weapons had to be gathered and sorted, projectiles retrieved and cleaned.

With the help of the Heahea Town watch, the reserve army rounded up their defeated foes and placed them under guard. Those with more serious injuries were held in a separate enclosure. Medical orderlies and women from the town brought water, and bandaged wounds.

By the time night fell, most of the army had eaten and crawled into their tents to rest. Snores filled the air as the men, finally able to relax now that the battle was over, fell into deep sleep.

Moon sat with Hau and Ilima in front of a fire, toasting bread and drinking tea. Hau's arm was heavily bandaged, and his head ached from several bruises, but he refused to miss the lure of sweet honey on warm bread.

"I still can't believe we made it," he said. "I mean, it's not that I didn't have faith in everyone, but..."

Moon smiled. "To be honest, I'm kind of shocked we made it through this well, too."

Inevitably, they had lost a few men, and many more were injured. Some were still in critical condition. But considering the odds that were piled against them, Moon felt thankful that the rest of them survived.

"So... what are you gonna do now?" Ilima asked.

"Hn?" Moon looked up from her toast, flinching slightly as her ribs twinged. The wound from the crossbow bolt had reopened on the battlefield, so Cilan had put in a couple of stitches. Ilima sighed.

"Hau said the Captain postponed discharging you until we got through this. Are you really gonna leave now?" he said. Moon shrugged, then wished she hadn't.

"That's... up to the Captain, really," she said, gritting her teeth at the pain. "I don't know if he still wants me gone..."

"But you don't wanna go home, right?" Hau asked slowly.

"Of course I don't. At least, not right now," Moon replied. She smiled sadly. "But it's not so much what I want. It's what _he_ wants me to do."

"Why don't you ask him now?" Ilima said, a mysterious smile on his lips.

Moon turned. Gladion was walking towards them.

Hau stood up. "Man, this arm is killing me. I'm gonna go to bed. Night, Sun! Don't you dare leave in the night!"

He grinned at Moon, then walked towards Gladion.

"Good job today, Captain!"

"What-"

Before Gladion could say anything else, Hau hugged him. Moon slapped her hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh at the alarmed look on Gladion's face.

"Ow ow ow damn this arm hurts..." Hau muttered. Pulling back, he grinned. "Don't you dare fire Sun, now."

Then he was gone. Ilima stood up next, and pulled their captain into a loose embrace as well.

"Thank you for keeping us alive, Captain," he said simply. Leaning forward, he whispered something into Gladion's ear.

Moon watched with interest as Gladion stepped back, looking rather as if Ilima had punched him in the gut. Was it just her imagination, or was Gladion's face turning red?

Ilima waved to her. "Don't turn in too late, Sun. Good night, Captain!"

And then he too was gone, leaving Moon and Gladion staring at each other.

Moon gestured awkwardly to the vacated stools next to her. "Would you like to sit down?"

Silently, Gladion sat, carefully not looking at her. She watched him for a few moments, her gaze moving over the new bruises and scratches marking his face and arms.

"So...?" she said, drawing out the vowel slowly.

"So... what?"

Moon rolled her eyes. "Gladion, Captain I'm So Gloomy and I Don't Make Small Chat With My Men, came over to our fire to sit. Obviously you're here for some reason."

Gladion threw her a dirty glare. She grinned sunnily at him, and he looked away again.

"Thank you," he said, still deliberately not looking at her. "It was your strategy that clinched our victory today. So... thanks."

Moon smiled. "It wasn't just me. Tactics don't do anything if the execution falls flat. So... it's really thanks to everyone that we got through."

"Yeah."

A prolonged silence, filled with the crackling of flames.

"Are you gonna send me-"

"I'm sorry I-"

Both started, then stopped at the same time. Moon ran her fingers through her hair, then bit her lip.

"The only thing I ever lied about was my gender. So I could take my father's place here," she said softly.

Gladion nodded. "I know." He paused, then gazed across at her. "I'm... sorry. For... well..." He looked down at the sand. "I don't know. Everything. I guess."

Moon smiled. "I'm sorry, too. For... everything."

Barely five minutes had passed since they sat down together. But the wind felt warmer, the night was friendlier, and the light from the fire cosier somehow. The silence between them was comfortable, rather than stiff.

Gladion stood up. "We should turn in. Tomorrow will be another long day."

It seemed like years since he first said that to her. Moon stood up as well, then held out her arms to him.

Gladion blinked at her. "What?"

"Hau and Ilima got a hug each, but I don't?"

To her delight, Gladion's face reddened. Quickly, he put his arms lightly round her, patting her back awkwardly before he pulled away.

"...You fight good," he said. Turning, he stalked off as fast as he could. She watched him disappear into the darkness.

For the first time since the battle with the Skullions ended, Moon felt at peace.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Day 6 of Lonashipping Week: Fairytale. Yeah, I know, Mulan's more of a folktale than a fairytale, but yeah ^^;;;
> 
> Many, many, MANY thanks to my beta Artpharos for checking this fic for me section by section, for enabling and encouraging me when I was crying at writing a 6000 word fic in one and a half days. Without her, this fic would still be rotting in a messy draft form. 
> 
> Several lines from the fic was obviously taken from the Disney animated version, because I absolutely love that film *w* Anyone want to guess what Ilima said to Gladion at the end? 8'D


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